Skating on Keizersgracht in the center of Amsterdam, 5 Feb 2012

This was a dream of mine that I thought "global warming" had squelched: the Amsterdam canals are freezing over in the Centrum. After years here, it's finally happened!

The whole country is going nuts over the possibility of Elfstedenocht, an ice-skating event that takes place through 11  Friesland cities, but only if the Dutch weather permits: the ice must be 15 cm thick along the whole natural route.

You have to live here to appreciate the excitement this generates. The media is already in a frenzy nightly; bets are being laid as to whether or not it will take place. The official announcement comes from The Queen. The entire nation is holding it's breath. I kid you not.

Fantastic Halloween decor in the Nine Streets

 FABULOUS decor by the magician at this historic 9 Streets home. Tonight is the last chance to see it yourself, so make your way past Berenstraat 7 when you are out wandering with the ghouls and goblins this evening. Happy Halloween, everybody!

Original photo: David Cullen Powers
Post capture work: Suzanne Miller

Museum Willet-Holthuysen

Hello everybody, greetings from autumnal Amsterdam. Halloween is just around the corner, not that that means much in this city. By now we have eased into the miserable weather portion of our year, euphemistically referred to as "The Culture Season," which sounds much better than "The Crappy Season."

Hubby and I decided to enrich our lives last week with visits to Amsterdam's two preserved Golden Age canal houses,  The Museum Van Loon and Museum Willet-Holthuysen. They are both interesting to see, but if your time is limited, I would recommend the Museum Van Loon over the Willet-Holthuysen, because I think the Van Loon does a better job of evoking that era. Also, the carriage house to the Van Loon is opening any day now, and I believe it is the only example in crowded Amsterdam of a home surviving with its carriage house intact and still part of the property.

Nevertheless, this post has more to do with the Willet-Holthuysen because I have photos of it!

I stopped across the canal to get a wide shot before I went in. Now, with the thinning foliage, this is a great time to capture Amsterdam canal house architecture often obscured by leafy branches.

We entered without paying with our Museumkaarts, a must-have for any Dutch resident remotely interested in museums. These cards give you free entrance (and often a preferred place in line) to all nationally supported museums in The Netherlands. I feel compelled to note that the famed Rijksmuseum, home of the finest examples of Dutch Masters, is as of this writing still only partially open due to the extensive renovation taking place; if your goal in coming to Amsterdam is to see the Rijks, you'll want to wait a few years. If you do go into the partially-open Rijks, you will still be cheerfully charged the full amount, 12.50 euro, as if the entire exhibit was open. Bit shameful, that. But I digress.

Back to our 17th century mansion: at this writing, there is a very strange fashion exhibit meshed into this house. What the two have to do with one another is not clear, though a variety of media tools are strewn throughout this elegant home. These ridiculous mannequins and photo boards, and in one case, a towel(?!), were anachronistic to the Willet-Holthuysen and greatly detracted from the experience.

A towel, considered edgy art, I suppose

Trying to find any artistic justification for pairing this 1960s style sheath with a tasteful tableau from a 19th century salon just hurts my brain. The bad angle must be because I was holding my nose as I took the photo.

 A white mannequin draped in a zippered potato sack greeted me at the lovely alcove on the first elevated floor.

As a whole this is not going to be one of the most impressive houses you've ever seen, but there are loads of details and furnishings worth a gander. The house's last residents were Abraham Willet and his wife Louisa Holthuysen. They were both children of wealthy, educated families who held many soirees in their fine home. The couple traveled frequently and collected objects from all over Europe. They did not have offspring. They left the house, its contents and its sizeable art collection to the city of Amsterdam in 1895, on condition that it become a public museum.

I thoroughly enjoyed the collection of silver miniatures on display. That basket in the middle is the size of a walnut. I thought it a terrific bonus that I could take pics, but that's true in many museums here.

Museum Willet-Holthuyson

Herengracht 605
1017 CE Amsterdam, Netherlands
020 5231870

Hours: Sun, Sat 11am–5pm; Mon-Fri 10am–5pm

Transit: Rembrandtplein

 

such detailed dishes

This gold and turquoise decanter is quite a stunner. Note the rampant lions, a figure used a lot in The Netherlands. The rampant lion is both part of the Royal Family's coat of arms and part of the National crest.

This exquisite marble figure must have been a favorite of Abraham Willet's, as it is in featured by his side in many painted portraits.


The Willet-Holthuysen couple were enthusiastic art supporters. My jaw dropped when I saw Lousa's financial accounts. One small rough painting of a dog was purchased for around 6,000 euros, another impressive still life was 42,000 euros (converted here from the original Dutch guilders). There were many purchases like this. Back in the late 1800s, those were princely sums, indeed.

nice place to compose a letter

I enjoyed the art collection a great deal.  Unfortunately, the credits were spare and confusing to follow, so I'm unable to name all the artists. The picture on the right is typical in that many 18th century Dutch had their collection of oddities painted. I guess it's like taking a photo of your cool stuff today.

Not a bird cage there above the chair; it's cleverly painted tiles.

The kitchen is my favorite room in any house, but it's especially fun to see the ones in these grand homes; it balances the house, this part.The upper floors of finery always seem museumy to me, but here I can truly imagine myself living.

Another tile bird cage, this one close enough to capture.

All in all, I'd say there are worse ways to spend the afternoon than wandering hallways of a restored Golden Age canal house. The bizarre fashion exhibit ends on November 13th, so either hurry or pause, but do consider that event.

Sinterklaas in Amsterdam

As I was on my way to the Sinterklaas arrival party in Leidseplein last month I spotted children's cutouts in a window. The figure on the left is "Zwarte Piet," Sinterklaas' fun-loving Moorish helper. In the Netherlands, legend has it that Sinterklaas (the figure in the red hat) arrives from his home in Spain by boat, after which he disembarks astride his white horse and rides through the land, dispersing goodies and gifts. One Santa for the whole country arrives in Amsterdam (lucky me!) and a full scale parade with floats and tons of Zwarte Piets ensues from the ship to Leidseplein, where Sinterklaas addresses the crowd, spreading good cheer to the rain-soaked masses.




Dutch kids are really, really cute and happy children as a rule, and this event brought those qualities out. It almost made me teary, looking at their earnest little faces. Many of them dressed up either as Sinterklaas or one of his helpers, Zwarte Piet (Black Peter). The adults dressed as Zwarte Piets all put on brown face makeup to look like Moors. This can be startling to Americans sensitive to certain images due to our history of racial conflict, but I assure you this is not construed as or interpreted as offensive, here.



The Zwarte Piets dance around, goof off, insert themselves in people's photographs and hand out goodies in advance of Sinterklaas' appearance.

The man himself!!


Sinterklaas riding up to Leidseplein, led by Zwarte Piet


Little kids in the typical flouncy beret type hat, representing santa's helper, Zwarte Piet.

Zwaart Piets onderweg thuis

I saw Sinterklaas arrive in Leidseplein today! More photos soon, but this was the best of the bunch, two Zwaart Petes rollerblading home from the event.

Vamos a Ver - Spanish Restaurant de Pijp

Many of the de Pijp neighborhood eateries have risen to the status of "must try" Amsterdam restaurants, and a Spanish restaurant on Governor Flinckstraat called "Vamos a Ver" ("Let's See") is one I've had my eye on for a while.

Hubby and I went there last night to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. The minute my nose got inside the door, I knew I was in for a good meal. That "yum" something wonderful is happening in the kitchen smell. The atmosphere is welcoming, low lighting, cosy warm, bustling kitchen in the back.

We were invited to sit at any table of our choosing. There were a few tables occupied on this Monday evening, and a patron or two at the bar. We settled into a corner table and a friendly woman gave us menus and asked for our drink order immediately. (American readers: this is not normal in Amsterdam, where wait staff routinely ignores all customers.) I enjoyed being close enough to the kitchen to hear our server speaking to the cooks in Spanish. Okay, they really have Spaniards in the kitchen, this is a good sign.

We started with an order of calamari a la romana, which was okay. Better than some I've tried but far from the best. Perfectly cooked, but nothing special in the breading or seasoning, and no red sauce alongside. In fact, now that I think of it, I only get the red sauce about half the time when I order breaded calamari in Europe.

My entree though, was out of this world. "Pollo al ajillo" or chicken with garlic, is a traditional Spanish dish, and they did it proud. Piping hot, perfectly cooked, delicious chicken thighs thoroughly infused with savory garlic. My husband had some sort of steak thing but I was so into my food I totally forgot to ask him about his. I let his clean plate do the talking.

They brought our entrees on big black round plates brimming with food. The order was accompanied by loads of steak fries and veggies, and everything was hot and tasty. Bread with alioli sauce was complimentary, and when I asked for a glass of water we were given a ceramic carafe for the table, nice.

We couldn't finish everything on the plates but I still took a gander at the dessert menu. Not a lot to tempt: I was too full for the house desserts, flan and crema catalana, and the rest was ice cream or fruit or a combo of the two, yawn. My husband immediately rejected the dessert menu: no chocolate.

We were in and out of there in record time, yet we never felt rushed. I loved the soft lighting and the decorative ironwork all about. I liked the look of the patrons at the other tables. They seemed to be an older, savvy set that had been here many a time before. I noticed a gentleman dining alone at the bar as we left, happily chatting with a waiter. Indeed, it is the kind of place you could wander into alone and still feel cosy and cared for.

I loved it. I'll be back.

Vamos a Ver
Pin accepted. Closed Tuesday
Govert Flinckstraat 308
1073 CJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
020 6736992

Amsterdam Hotels

I'm delighted to write this post, as I have recently picked up a few lodging tips and I and busting to share them with you, dear reader. As I've mentioned in previous posts, getting a quality room for cheap is quite difficult here.

To that end, here are two places that I have heard are quite comfortable.

The first is the Palace B&B, which I first discovered through my colorist, Rudy, as he owns the joint. I can't tell you how many times I have been sitting in the chair at his salon whilst happy lodgers drop off their key, promising to book again the next time. But it wasn't until my housemate visited a friend staying there that heard first hand just how nice it was. Not plush, but beautifully appointed. Nice linens. Coffee maker and stuff to make your own breakfast. Kind of nice to come and go without a reception, just as though you are living on your own in Amsterdam for a night or so.

DJ had booked the largest room, which had a seating area that could be curtained off from the sleeping area, for 109 euros a night, September. DJ regularly cruises, first class, on the Queen Mary, and he can afford any hotel in town. He was so impressed with the Palace B&B that he re-booked when in town on business a week later. I guess he was not so taken with the fancy schmancy Hotel 717 that he had stayed in previously. (downchecks to that place: no awning over the front door and one must wait, in the rain, to be let in; also, in the biggest suite two couches that faced each other were separated by a table that was level with eyes of people sitting, rendering the seating area basically non-functional.)

The other economic gem I've heard about is the Euphemia Hotel. The positive reviews came from a well-traveled Danish woman in her seventies. She said it was fine, and quiet.

I have read that prices have dropped a bit from last year, but still, a normal hotel room will run you about 125 a night, even booking in advance. And, unlike some cities, here the prices go up, not down, at the last minute. Feeling brave? The prices will drop on those discount hotel sites after 2 pm on the day you want the room, if you are willing to risk it.

And of course, my services as Hotel Checker are still available.

Me, I'd opt for one of the above places so you can arrive and relax and forget about hotels during your trip. I have been with friends that book from night to night, and that means getting up early and spending every morning of your holiday traipsing around looking for a good deal for the next night, repacking and unpacking and moving your luggage. Ugh, not my idea of a holiday.

We are in the rainy season, but still a lot of green left on the trees, and there may be a glorious autumnal day out there yet before Old Man Winter bears down on us for real. Well, off to work. Come by and visit La Naranja, and say howdy!

bikes, bikes, bikes

To sum the previous, then: if you can somehow get on two wheels here, whether by renting your own or joining a group at Mac Bike or Yellow Bikes, or taking your life in your hands with an Eastern European intrepid bike taxi driver, it really is THE way to see and understand this city.

Two wheels are without a doubt the fastest way around Amsterdam. Literally nothing is more than 20 minutes away if you are on a bicycle.

If you do take the plunge and rent a bike on our own, first of all, BRAVO! You won't regret it. Now, some guidelines for first time cyclists in our fair city:

1. Always lock your bike, through the front wheel AND the frame, when you are not with it. Period. Take it from me, who is on her third bike in four years, the previous two lost to theft.

2.. ALWAYS stay on the bike path. Take it from me, who careened gleefully down a sidewalk and collided into some poor workman carrying his tools away from a house for the day. "dit is voor lopen," he said indicating the sidewalk. "This is for walking." Thank God he was not hurt, or some feeble being. I learned that lesson.

3. ALWAYS have a light on the front and the back once the sun goes down. Not only does it simply make good basic safety sense, but the politie acties may await you around every bend, and they will fine you on the spot for neglecting your "lampje." Get in the habit of carrying them with you at all times, less you get into one of those afternoon-turns-to-evening situations.

4. PAY NO ATTENTION to the casual Dutch zinging through red lights and pirouetting down the sidewalks on a single wheel while they juggle apples with one hand and text their friends with the other. They can do this without incident. If you try to buck the rules with the same disregard for flowing traffic, you will unwittingly cause a pile up. They have been running red lights for decades. Don't be a twit your first week on two wheels here. I'm not kidding. Things move quickly on a bicycle. Be careful out there.

5. DO GET OUT of the tourist centrum. I highly recommend the canal belt, over on the west side. Pick a time outside of rush hours and try the Browersgracht and Bloemengracht area for great gracht riding with little traffic. On the other extreme end of the canal belt, the east side, riding around Rembrandtplein, towards Reguliersgracht and around there is a very pleasant ride.

6. VONDELPARK is the best place, in my opinion, to go on a bike. It can get a bit wild with roller bladers and oblivious tourists strolling into your path, but it's a sure escape from cars and the bustle, such as it is, of the city.

Life on bike is delightful. I love my enforced 20 minutes twice a day to and from work. Getting to the point where I don't even mind it much in the drizzle. Guess I'm slowly going native. Next post, hotel tips!

Ivy claiming a bicycle chained to the wrought iron fence at Sarphati park.

What's on today

Bored this weekend? There's still time to check out the Indonesian festival, and wow, what a beautiful sunny day to do it.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

trying a new hair stylist, Charlton from Renato's

Is there any better pick-me-up than a new do? Whee! I had grown tired of snagging my combs and fingers in damaged ends, so I decided to try a hair stylist that I have been meaning to try ever since Anita waltzed into my shop swinging her gorgeous, long brown locks. Renato hair salon is just down the road, number 145 on beautiful Bilderdijkstraat, and Charlton there gave me this new, layered long look. I will remain faithful to Rudy for my highlights, but it's great to be able to get my hair styled and trimmed just a block down from La Naranja. Charlton is from Brazil and the salon has had a successful ten years here. I can see why. Consummate professionals, very friendly and a terrific free cappuchino! I'll be back; thanks, Charlton, I love it! *skip* *swing*

Amsterdam Sail 2010

I did go to Sail 2010, and quite the to-do it was. I believe that the entire population of the Netherlands converged at the event. It was quite the mob scene, so much so that I aborted my first attempt. When I returned on Saturday, I knew more what to expect.

There was no going against the prescribed route around the harbor, unless you wanted to feel like a tadpole going against a stream of salmon. I only made it aboard a few of the ships. Because of the huge turnout the lower levels of the ships were closed, and after waiting on line to get on a few decks I soon tired of that particular game.

I got some good shots and got out. Really, it was way too much of a crowd for me, and there was no way to get near the beautiful ships without being in the thick of it. All went well, but as I was being funneled through one particularly tight spot I did think of the stampede in Germany earlier this summer. And it was about then that I turned back. Riding home was heavenly, as absolutely everyone had deserted the streets to see the ships.

The new architecture pictured is of the mixed-use area recently built behind the harbor. I like the way they managed to keep some of the old structures amid the new glass walls.

To me the fun bit was all the little private boats participating. I had never seen the harbor so choked with such a variety of sea vessels.

I'm glad the event was proclaimed a success. The weather held fairly well, until the sail out on Monday morning.

Tall Sailing Ships

Ahoy, Amsterdam fans!

Majestic, old tall sailing ships from around the world are making their way into Amsterdam as I write this, and it promises to be a very nice few days of activities. The ships are docking at various spots near The IJ, so your best bet is to head toward the back of Centraal station and follow the crowd. I read that the free ferry over to Amsterdam Noord will continue to run, and this is a great way for folks to see the ships from the water.

There will be fireworks over The IJ starting at 10:15 pm Friday night, at 10 pm on Saturday night. Go on over to this site for a full schedule of the activities.

Queen's Day Treats!

The Dutch are overly modest about their culinary accomplishments, namely in the area of sweets. Pattisseries, bakeries, little cute shops brimming with cookies and cakes and tarts and breakfast buns are a dime a dozen in Amsterdam. It is an entire sub culture, and those in the know will buy their breakfast breads at the "bakerij," or baker, their small batch chocolates and cocoa at a "chocalatier," and their special occasion sweets at a "patisserie" or "confiserie."

The pattisserie Arnold Cornelis, pictured above, has several smart shops scattered around Amsterdam. It's very good, although my prejudice for the Van Muyden stroopwafels has colored my impression somewhat. However, certainly for eye candy the darling Arnold Cornelis shops really can't be beat. Many, like this one on tony Van Baerlestraat, have fancy glass panels decorating the overhang of their entrance.



Queen's Day will be upon us in a matter of weeks, and this patisserie has gone all out with the celebration of the royal House of Orange. I especially love the Barbie doll in the center of a cake and frosting orange skirt.



What a fun Queen's Day tray of treats! From left, Orange frosted pretzels, orange flower cookies, gold foil wrapped somethings with the crown on the paper, orange and chocolate crowns, white chocolate with tiny orange royal coaches stamped on it, chocolate hearts with little waving Dutch flags on them and tulip cookies. Eet smakelijk! Bon apetit!

Museum construction site

This is not a great year to visit Amsterdam for the museums, not if you are expecting to see the major ones. The Van Gogh is going strong, but the exhibits at both the famous Rijksmuseum and the Stedelijk are mere fractions of their normal collections as grand expansion plans are underway. One corner (SW) of Museumplein is surrounded by construction equipment and barricades, and the usual "how much longer?!" type graffiti scrawled around the temporary walls. This particular wall on Van Baerlestraat, though, is really a work of art in itself. Somebody painted what I assume are the likenesses of some of the workers on the project, and I wanted to be sure to capture it before they took the wall down.

Skirts on the line at La Naranja

I came up with a clothesline idea to showcase our new skirts in the display at La Naranja. I have fun watching the shadows they make in the afternoon. We started with a small number and more than half have sold, so we'll be getting more in the next few weeks. They really are adorable; and I have a few myself. They are reversible and snap together, so they are the perfect cover over jeans and leggings. The ladies love them!

Thanks, GVB

While I'm reviewing the winter and discovering my lost cache of December pics, I'd like to say "dank u wel" to GVB, the local transport organization, for giving the tram riders little chocolate santas around Christmas time. Now, that's the kind of thing that will make you fall in love with a city. Awwwww. Thank you, GVB!

The little sign in Dutch above the candy reads: We wish you a pleasant journey.

Happy 2010 from snowy Holland!!!

Here I am, having transformed into a winter faerie, shouting out to you from the top of Centraal Station. It's c-0-0-0-0-0-ld here, folks, and the streets are plenty slick. Great time for gezellig indoor activities.

Meanwhile, take a look here for some wonderful shots by my buddy Bill, who was visiting Mokum when the snow started to fall. Bill is a terrific photographer, and you'll enjoy these.

Meanwhile, La Naranja remains open for business and back to hours as usual. We have a sale on, and we're getting a good response, so if you had your eye on something I suggest you grab it before anyone else does!! Our cosy shawls are getting second and third looks and I just sold two pairs of woolen slippers. Prices are lowered on our rich handwoven blankets. New merchandise coming soon, we have to make room!

Stay warm, everybody!!